Common Name
Trindade Sweeper
Year Described
Pinheiro, Bernardi, & Rocha, 2016
Identification
Dorsal Fin: IV, 8-9
Anal Fin: III, 24-25
Pectoral Fin: 15
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Lateral Line Scales: 51-54
Scale under lateral line: 10-11
Circumpeduncular scales: 11-12
Gill Rakers: 23-25 total
Vertebrae: 25 (10 + 15)
Body very deep and compressed. Eye very large. Mouth oblique and terminal; reaching to middle of orbit. Teeth present in both jaws, on palatine, and on vomer. Forehead relatively steep. Body profile at anal fin very steep. Caudal peduncle fairly long with a forked tail. Dorsal fin single and short-based. Pelvic fin very small. Pectoral fin with oblique base and pointed. Anal fin low and very long-based (over half of SL). Body and most of head fully scaled. Lateral line steeply sloped on the anterior end.
Color
Body translucent silver with a dusky midbody stripe along lateral line and a green back.
Size
Maximum size to 68mm SL
Habitat
Found only in shallow waters around Trindade Island in rocky areas.
Range
Endemic to Trindade Is., Brazil
References
Pinheiro H.T., Bernardi G., and L. A. Rocha. 2016. Pempheris gasparinii, a new species of sweeper fish from Trindade Island, southwestern Atlantic (Teleostei, Pempheridae). ZooKeys 561: 105-115.
Other Notes
This species is cited as differing by from Pempheris poeyi in having a higher lateral line scale count (51-54 vs. 47-49), scales below lateral line (10-11 vs 9), scales around caudal peduncle (11-12 vs 13), and caudal peduncle length (2.7-3.3 vs. 3.5-4.0 times in HL). It is also strongly disjunct in distribution and is genetically divergent from P. poeyi (Pinheiro et al., 2016).